Mehana - Bulgarian hospitality in the heart of Bansko

The Backdrop:
A small stone building with wooden beams - a blazing fire in one corner and the smell of a home cooked meal wafting from the kitchen. Long wooden tables with benches and comfy cushions make the room rustic and yet comfy. Live music fills the air with a festive and celebratory aura.

The Location:
A mehana - a traditional Bulgarian tavern in the heart of Bansko, Bulgaria. No holiday in Bulgaria would be complete without visiting at least one!

Eat, drink and be merrry
Many mehanas are nestled in the heart of Bansko and after a day of skiing at Bansko Ski Resort or hiking the mountain trails, this is the logical choice for the evening of drink and merriment. Whether you want to eat or simply have an apres ski drink, the Bansko mehanas are a great place to experience local culture, local drink and local fare. With more than 180 mehanas in the town of Bansko alone, there is likely one located near your Bansko holiday rental.

Can you handle the local spirit? Take a shot of Rakijja!
For potency, the local drink, rakijja, made from either plums or grapes, rivals the greatest firewaters anywhere in the world. This inexpensive elixir is usually drunk in shots and is, to say the least, strong. In fact, it may be wise to use a bit of caution - too much rakijja can leave even the most robust drinker more than a bit wobbly at the end of a night. But don't worry - if this powerful spirit isn't to your taste, there is a wide assortment of local wines that you can choose from instead. Wines from Bulgaria have certainly gained more popularity in the last few years and range from dry reds to sweet muscatels and are definitely worth sampling while on holiday in Bansko.

So what is on the menu?
Local Bulgarian and Bansko cuisine is, in many ways, similar to Greek or Turkish fare. Local Bansko specialities such as kapama, meat (pork or chicken) stewed with vegetables in stoneware, are both tasty and filling. Be sure to end the meal with a good cup of strong black coffee at your Bansko hotel.

Authentic and established
One thing that sets Bansko Ski Resort apart from other ski resorts in Bulgaria is the fact that the town of Bansko is also a real residential community. This isn't just a resort town like other resorts in Bulgaria. The mehanas are a really authentic Bulgarian pub that cater to the local crowd as well as to the tourists, and that makes them a great place to see the life in Bulgaria and get a feel for real culture and traditions. Most mehanas have live traditional Bulgarian music in the evenings.